Hands-On – Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist Qualité Fleurier Fairmined – Original, Luxurious and… Ethical

The classic elegance of L.U.C Chopard, with a contemporary twist and a hint of fair trade… because yes, watchmaking can also take care of social development and environmental protection. Meet the Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist Qualité Fleurier Fairmined, a slender limited edition timepiece resonating a unique perception of elegance, powered by a superb micro-rotor movement and crafted in ethical pink gold.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Junghans Form A (Defining Bauhaus and Minimalism)

If looking for “the total package” in terms of heritage, well designed, mechanical watches at an affordable sticker price, you simply shouldn’t overlook Junghans. We’ve seen in the past that the brand is capable of offering watches with a very strong design following its own identity to the letter, with basic but reliable movements that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Always leaning on automotive inspiration or following the Bauhaus movement, Junghans brings the Form A (for Automatic) to Baselworld 2017.

8 years ago

VIDEO: 3 of the best new watches from Bulgari, including that one you’re secretly into…

We knew it, as soon as we tried it on. You guys knew it too, judging by the comments, which have usually gone something like, “I’d never been that interested in Bulgari before, but….” And naturally Bulgari knew it, which is why their booth at Baselworld dedicated its grandest display space to tell the story: the Octo Finissimo Automatic in titanium is the most refined mens piece ever for the brand in the ‘accessible’ category. By ‘accessible’ – around $18k – we’re not talking entry level, but it certainly is a newly affordable price point for a barely there piece that holds the record for the thinnest automatic watch on the market. In addition there’s a fully murdered out Octo, with all black errrrrrrthang. And the softly cased new Octo Roma, which heartens with its warm tones and gentler curves.

The post VIDEO: 3 of the best new watches from Bulgari, including that one you’re secretly into… appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

8 years ago

Hands-On – James C. Pellaton Royal Marine Chronometer (With Proper Haute-Horlogerie Execution)

If you are experienced with the history of watchmaking or simply if you have ever paid attention to tourbillon pocket watches in auction catalogues, then you are probably familiar with the Pellaton name. It is connected to the makers of some of the most exceptional tourbillons in history. And now it’s brought back to life with a remarkable watch, to say the least! Here is the James C. Pellaton Royal Marine Chronometer, featuring an incredibly well finished movement (and it’s our technical editor who says that).

8 years ago

Hands-On – Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde (Baselworld 2017)

Schwarz Etienne started with a vertical integration strategy a few years ago, going as far as producing hairsprings in-house, with their sister company E2O innovations (read our recent introduction article about the brand here). This involved deep products’ evolution and a strategy based on a modular approach to movement development; a family of mechanical movements was created and evolved into different versions. Today, we take a look at the interesting La Chaux-de-Fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde, which was presented during Baselworld 2017.

8 years ago

HANDS-ON: The dark and mysterious Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel in platinum

There’s a lot of love in the Time+Tide office for the Slim d’Hermès collection – it’s classic, classy and somewhat free from the Swiss traditionalism that constrains the rest of the fine watch industry. So we’re very happy to see Hermès continuing to expand this relatively young collection, this time with a new platinum-cased perpetual calendar. A perpetual calendar has been part of the family from the beginning. When the Slim was announced in 2015, the rose gold case with silver dial was the complicated heart of the range – a mature take on a traditional function. Structurally this new platinum version is exactly the same: 39.5mm case, in-house H1950 base movement with Agenhor calendar module, and impeccable Hermès strap. The only real changes are the case material and the new, deep blue dial. Cosmetic tweaks, but enough to make this feel like a completely different watch (and not just because the platinum adds some serious heft). The blue sunburst dial is oh-so on trend, with just the right touch of mystery. I particularly like how the mother-of-pearl moon and its aventurine night sky blend into the dial, as well as the little pop of red on the second time…

The post HANDS-ON: The dark and mysterious Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel in platinum appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

8 years ago

HANDS-ON: The dark and mysterious Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel in platinum

There’s a lot of love in the Time+Tide office for the Slim d’Hermès collection – it’s classic, classy and somewhat free from the Swiss traditionalism that constrains the rest of the fine watch industry. So we’re very happy to see Hermès continuing to expand this relatively young collection, this time with a new platinum-cased perpetual calendar. A perpetual calendar has been part of the family from the beginning. When the Slim was announced in 2015, the rose gold case with silver dial was the complicated heart of the range – a mature take on a traditional function. Structurally this new platinum version is exactly the same: 39.5mm case, in-house H1950 base movement with Agenhor calendar module, and impeccable Hermès strap. The only real changes are the case material and the new, deep blue dial. Cosmetic tweaks, but enough to make this feel like a completely different watch (and not just because the platinum adds some serious heft). The blue sunburst dial is oh-so on trend, with just the right touch of mystery. I particularly like how the mother-of-pearl moon and its aventurine night sky blend into the dial, as well as the little pop of red on the second time…

The post HANDS-ON: The dark and mysterious Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel in platinum appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017 – Recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217

This is it; the star of show – or at least the watch that received most comments and that reached the 1st place in our “most read article of Baselworld 2017“. And believe us, surpassing Rolex in numbers during the Basel Watch Fair is properly impressive… All of that, just to tell you how expected this watch was and how well received it has been. Its name: the Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017. Its function: being a faithful recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217, meaning the first professional dive watch of the Japanese manufacture. Its achievement: already being a collector. Overview of an upcoming success story.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017 – Recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217

This is it; the star of show – or at least the watch that received most comments and that reached the 1st place in our “most read article of Baselworld 2017“. And believe us, surpassing Rolex in numbers during the Basel Watch Fair is properly impressive… All of that, just to tell you how expected this watch was and how well received it has been. Its name: the Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017. Its function: being a faithful recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217, meaning the first professional dive watch of the Japanese manufacture. Its achievement: already being a collector. Overview of an upcoming success story.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Zenith Defy El Primero 21 – From a 10th to a 100th of a Second (Video, Specs & Price)

Back in 1969, Zenith introduced a movement that will later become an icon, as being both one of the first automatic chronograph movements, and being the 20th century’s king of precision, as beating at 5Hz and being precise to the 10th of a second. Its name: the El Primero. At Baselworld, the Le Locle-based manufacture has given this fast-beating engine a 21st century appeal: 50Hz frequency, precision to the 100th of a second, modernized look, open-worked movement. Here is the Zenith Defy El Primero 21… and it’s fast, very fast.

8 years ago